


A Hero's Heart

by Dragons103



Series: Miraculous Tales: Genderswapped Miraculous AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adorable Tikki, Basically the origin story episode, But with a gender swap, F/M, Freaked out Marin, Genderbend, Miraculous Origin Story, Superheroes, gender swap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 10:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12839136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragons103/pseuds/Dragons103
Summary: Marin Dupain-Cheng finds his life turned upside down when his home city of Paris is put in danger from the villainous Hawk Moth, who seeks powerful jewelry called the Miraculous, which will give him absolute power. After receiving the ladybug Miraculous, Marin must accept his new responsibility as a superhero to defend Paris when Hawk Moth strikes with his partner Chat Noir while also balancing his normal civilian life on the side. Who ever said being a superhero would be easy?





	1. In the Daytime...

Marin woke up to the sound of shrill beeping.

 _That’s funny,_ he thought, _why is my alarm going off?_

As soon as he opened his eyes, he remembered. Today was the first day of school, which he had _not_ been looking forward to. At least it was his last year at Collége Françoise Dupont, but he still wasn’t looking forward to it. Knowing his luck, Clovis would be in his class again, and he’d have to deal with the other boy’s rude remarks, stuck up voice, brattiness, and...yeah, Marin wasn’t excited to see him.

In fact, he probably would’ve stayed in bed all day, hiding under his covers had his father not called for him. “Marin! You alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes! You’re going to be late!”

Marin huffed but finally reached over to turn off the beeping his alarm on his phone was making. Finally peeking his head out from beneath his covers, he called back, “Coming, Papa!”, yet made no move to actually get out of his bed. It took another full minute before he got out and walked to the trapdoor that lead to his family’s apartment, to where his father, Sabino, was waiting. Marin quickly went to the breakfast bar and began to get his breakfast ready.

“I’ll bet you anything Clovis will be in my class again,” he grumbled.

“Four years in a row?” Sabino asked, almost sounding astonished. “Is that possible?”

“Definitely,” Marin said louder. “Lucky me.”

“Don’t say that, it’s the start of a new year,” Sabino said, walking over to Marin and running a hand through his son’s already messy blue-black hair. “I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

Despite knowing that everything wouldn’t be just fine, Marin smiled and leaned into his father’s touch. “Thanks, Papa.”

“You’re due for a haircut,” Sabino pointed out, walking back to the stove.

After finishing his breakfast, Marin walked upstairs and quickly put on his outfit that he’d set out the night before(also sending a quick thanks to the Marin of last night): a white shirt with black lining, a dark gray button up he left open and rolled the sleeves to his elbows, and pale red pants, all of which he’d made himself, including his black slip on shoes. Marin wanted to be a fashion designer, and decided to teach himself how to make every article of clothing that he could.

After grabbing his bag, Marin went downstairs to the lowest level of the building, where the _Toni and Sabino Bakery_ was located. His mother had just finished making some macarons which she passed to her son. Marin took a peek at them with a bright smile on his face. “Maman, these are amazing!”

“Glad you like them,” Toni responded with a proud smile.

“My class will love them. You’re the best!”

“ _We’re_ the best,” Toni corrected, reaching to the counter to grab a sheet of paper with the bakery’s new sign. “Thanks to the design you came up with.”

Marin reached up to hug his mother quickly, grabbing his backpack and giving both his parents a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you tonight!” he called as he ran out of the bakery, stopping at the crosswalk. Once there, he took a deep breath.

 _It’s the start of a new year, everything will be just fine,_ he thought to himself. _It’s the start of a new year, everything will be just fine. It’s the start of a-_

_What’s that old lady doing?_

Marin blinked a few times to see and old lady walking across the crosswalk slowly, despite the fact that the light was green. When Marin realized this, and that there was a car fast approaching, he quickly ran to her and dragged her to safety at the other end of the road, just managing to only break a few macarons.

“Thank you, sir,” the old lady said. “What a disaster.”

Marin smiled kindly and opened the box to show her there was no harm done. “Don’t worry, I’m no stranger to disasters. Besides, there’s still a few left.”

The old lady took one of the macarons and tasted it. “Delicious,” she said, her voice sounding almost thoughtful.

The sound of a bell ringing broke Marin out of his stupor. “Shit, I’m going to be late!” he said, then flashed an embarrassed smile to the old lady. “Uh, have a nice day, ma’am!” Then he ran off, not looking back.

 _Luck will never be on my side, huh?_ He thought.

 

~*~

 

Marin arrived just in time to hear Mr. Bustier ask Nina to sit in the front row as opposed to the back, where she could hide the fact that she listened to music and ignored all the lessons. Trying to calm himself, Marin quickly headed to the seat he always sat at and put the macarons down on the desk in front of him. He heaved one last sigh when a loud thump made his heart start to race.

Of course, Clovis Bourgeois had noticed his arrival and come to be rude, as usual. His blonde hair was slicked back and his blue eyes were doing the weird ‘I’m trying to look sympathetic while I make fun of you’ thing. He was wearing a white shirt with black stripes, yellow button up and white pants, all no doubt designer clothes his mother, the mayor, had bought him. “Marin Dupain-Cheng,” he began.

“Here we go again,” Marin mumbled.

“That’s _my_ seat,” Clovis continued.

“But Clovis, I’ve sat here every year,” Marin began to argue.

“Nope,” a voice to Marin’s left said. He quickly turned to see Clovis’ only friend Sebastian, a nerdy looking redhead that was often manipulated by Clovis to do whatever he wanted. “New school year, new seats.”

“So, why don’t you go sit next to that new kid over there?” Clovis continued, pointing towards to front of the room. Marin glanced to see a dark skinned boy with dark brown hair that had an almost ombre effect: it faded to a dark orange at the ends and was long enough to reach his shoulders. He also wore glasses and an orange plaid button up with jeans. He looked annoyed to Clovis’ remark that he was the ‘new kid’, and Marin felt bad, but wasn’t about to give up his seat.

“But…” he began.

“Listen,” Clovis interrupted, voice getting more angry by the second. “Adrienne is arriving today, and because _that_ is going to be her seat, _this_ is going to be my seat. Got it?”

Marin blinked once. “Who’s Adrienne?” he asked.

Clovis and Sebastian shared a look of surprise, before laughing rudely. Marin felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “She’s only a famous model,” Sebastian said after he and Clovis finished laughing.

“And I’m her best friend,” Clovis continued, a proud look on his face. “She adores me. So, go on, and move.”

Marin could tell that if Clovis didn’t get his way soon he’d be dealing with a temper tantrum and possibly get in trouble, as the mayor had too much an influence over the school and wouldn’t hesitate to make sure Marin got kicked out for not giving in to her son. Just when he was about to get up and sit next to the ‘new kid’, as Clovis had called him, he found his way blocked.

“Who elected you the king of seats?” new-kid asked, looking both annoyed and slightly pissed off.

Clovis looked surprised that anyone would interrupt his daily rudeness to Marin, but quickly recovered. “Hm, look, Sebastian. We’ve got a little do-gooder.”

That only seemed to piss new-kid off more, from the way his eyebrows furrowed and frown deepened. Marin tried to make a quick gesture behind Clovis’ back to new-kid to leave it be, but either it didn’t work or new-kid wasn’t in the mood to be passive.

“It’s just a seat,” new-kid argued, “and I’m sure you’ll be just as close to this ‘Adrienne’ sitting over there.” New-kid pointed to where he’d been previously sitting.

Clovis wasn’t fazed, though, and rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Does everyone in this class live under a rock? It’ll be easier for me to keep an eye on her from here. Besides, what’re you gonna do? Shoot beams at me out of your glasses?”

That seemed to be the last straw for new-kid, who said, “Wouldn’t you like to know,” as he pushed past Clovis, grabbing Marin’s arm and dragging him to the front of the class, where he was sitting earlier. After sitting, Marin quickly shook his wrist from new-kid’s grip and mumbled a few apologies.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” new-kid said, raising an eyebrow in confusion at Marin’s continual apologies. “ _He_ should be the one apologizing to you.”

“He’s the mayor’s son,” Marin quickly explained, “so he can get away with everything. But I wish I could handle him the way you do.”

New-kid smiled kindly. “You mean the way that Majestia does,” he said, pulling out his phone and turning it on, showing the cover to a comic. It was a muscular girl with blonde hair in a pixie cut, dressed in a red, blue and gold superhero suit. “She says, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing’.” New-kid wrapped an arm around Marin’s shoulders and pointed to where Clovis was sitting, looking bored. “Well, that guy is _definitely_ evil, and we are the good people, so we can’t let him get away with it.”

Marin looked away and down at his macaron box. “Easier said than done. He likes to make my life miserable.”

“That’s because you let him, dude,” New-kid argued. “You just need more confidence.”

Marin glanced New-kid’s way, giving him a smile. Then, he reached into the macaron box and pulled one out, offering it to him. “I’m Marin,” he said.

“Alan,” New-kid said, taking the macaron with a grin.

The rest of their first period passed quicker than any previous time, in Marin’s eyes. He assumed it was because he’d made a new friend, and hopefully a best one. When the bell rang, Mr. Bustier said, “Those of you who have PE, meet Madame D’Argencourt at the stadium. The rest of you can go to the library.”

Marin grabbed both the box of macarons and his backpack. “What do you have?” he asked Alan, hoping that they’d be going the same way.

“Study hall in the library,” Alan answered. “You?”

“Library,” Marin said with a grin.

Just before they left the room, Marin heard Ivana yell, “Kim!”

“Ivana, what’s going on?” Mr. Bustier asked, sounding a bit astounded.

“It’s Kim!” Ivana tried to explain, glaring at the other girl. “I am so gonna-”

“Ivana, go to the principal’s office!” Mr. Bustier ordered.

Ivana crushed a piece of paper into a ball and grabbed her backpack, walking out of the classroom with a bit of a stomp to her step. Marin and Alan watched her go with sympathy. “First day and she’s already going to the office,” Marin mumbled and he started towards the library.

“Man, Mr. Bustier will take no shit,” Alan said. “Is it always like this?”

Marin shrugged. “I’ve never gone down, mostly because I pay attention and behave. But yeah, Mr. Bustier doesn’t take any shit.”

After arriving at the library, Alan immediately ran to one of the tables and put his backpack on top of it. “Quick - before King of Seats arrives.”

Marin couldn’t help laughing at that and sat down next to Alan. “So, I’ve never heard of Majestia before now. Is she cool?”

Alan looked surprised. “Dude, she’s awesome! I’m a bit of a superhero geek to be honest, and I’d love to meet one someday - but you’ve never heard of Majestia?”

Marin shook his head.

“You poor soul,” Alan mumbled, then took out his phone and went back to the comic he’d previously been on. Marin leaned closer to look at it. “Everyone loves a strong female protagonist that can take care of herself and shit, but Majestia is basically female protagonist perfection. She-”

Before Alan could continue, a giant rumble hit the school, almost like a small earthquake. Marin fell out of his seat, and was dragged back to his feet by Alan, who tugged him to the security cameras. “Look!” he gasped, and Marin gasped with him when he saw what it was.

It was a giant stone being, reminding Marin of the rock biter from _The Neverending Story_. It had created a giant hole in the Principal’s office, and had jumped down to the street below shouting, “KIIIIIIM!”

“What is that?” Marin found himself asking, as if Alan had any sort of answers. “It had Ivana’s voice,” he decided to note instead.

“It’s as if she’s been transformed into a real life supervillain!” Alan squealed, looking far too excited for something this disastrous to have hit the school. He pulled out his phone. “GPS, check. Battery, check. I am so out of here!” He began to run towards the library doors.

“Wait - Alan! Where are you going?” Marin yelled.

Alan stopped at the doors. “Where there’s a supervillain there’s always a superhero! I am _not_ missing this!”

Not knowing what else to do, Marin looked back at the security cameras and watched as the rock giant - _Ivana_ , he corrected himself - lifted up a car and tossed it towards the school entrance, hitting the camera and turning the video into static. Marin winced and ran to his bag, deciding that with it this dangerous out his parents would be worried, and with everyone running around nobody would miss him if he ran home.

Leaving the library and walking to the front entrance, Marin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the car Ivana had thrown hadn’t blocked it, and he could leave. Ivana was also nowhere to be found, along with everyone else in the school, so Marin quickly ran towards home, glad to never run into Ivana and instead was only met with terrified civilians.

“Maman! Papa!” he yelled as he ran through the bakery doors, not seeing his parents there, nor anyone else. He quickly ran up the stairs to the apartment, where he found his parents standing in front of the TV looking worried. They both turned around when he ran in and ran to their son, hugging him tightly.

“Thank goodness you’re safe,” Toni said.

“I think that’s one of my classmates!” Marin said. “Well, I don’t know how it’s possible but when I heard it it sounded like Ivana, and - and I have _no_ idea what’s going on.”

“Relax, sweetheart,” Sabino said, rubbing Marin’s back. “Why don’t you go upstairs? Your mother and I have been watching the news, and it doesn’t look like there’s any danger near us. Don’t worry - someone will handle it.”

Marin nodded and walked up to his room, immediately going to his computer and going to TVI News’ website, where they were showing a live feed of what was happening. _"_ _As incredible as it seems, Paris does indeed seem to be under attack from a supervillain. The police are struggling to control the situation."_

The video shifted to the chief of police, who said, _"_ _Be confident! The strong arm of the law will crash - ow!”_ The chief stopped, holding her injured arm. _“Well, the other arm, that is.”_

Marin shook his head, not sure if he could really believe what was happening. “God, I hate first days of school,” he mumbled to himself, very aware that this particular first day wasn’t like any others. He sighed and looked down, just noticing a black box on his desk. “Hm? What’s this doing here?” he asked himself, wondering if it was something from his parents. But it didn’t look like any sort of black box he’d seen before - it looked almost like a ring box, only hexagonal with a weird red symbol on top. Cautiously, Marin took it in his hand and opened it, just able to see a pair of red earrings with black dots on them before a red ball of light erupted from the box, blinding him.

Dropping the box, Marin shut his eyes for a moment, waiting for the light to disappear. When it did, he looked back to his computer, where now there was a small red being floating in front of it. It had one large black dot on its head and two on its checks, two small antennas on its head and big blue eyes and small almost wing-looking appendages on its back. It smiled and began to float towards Marin, who immediately fell backwards, away from the thing.

“Help, it’s a giant bug!” he yelled, backing towards his wall. “A...mouse!” he then yelled, after getting a better look at it. Then, deciding that wasn’t the right description either, yelled, “A bug-mouse!”

“Everything’s okay. Don’t be scared!” the bug-mouse said, voice high and feminine, yet cute. It began to float towards Marin again.

“Ahh!” Marin yelled. “Bug-mouse _talks!”_ He then grabbed the closest things near him and threw them at the thing, which it annoyingly dodged with a giggle. Out of things to throw on his desk, Marin began to back up towards his closet, falling back on the ground when he tripped over a stray item he’d thrown.

“Marin, I know everything seems a bit strange,” bug-mouse said, trying to sound kind. “But-”

Marin didn’t let bug-mouse finish, grabbing a glass cup he’d left in his room and lunging at bug-mouse, trapping it in the cup. It sighed, “Alright, if that makes you feel safer.”

“What _are_ you?” Marin asked, now taking the time to look a bit closer at bug-mouse. “How do you know my name?”

“I’m a Kwami, and my name is Tikki,” bug-mouse said, “Now, just let me explain.” When Marin didn’t say anything in return, bug-mouse - Tikki - began again. “Kwami’s grant special powers, and yours is the power of creation. Through those earrings over there - they’re called Miraculous, by the way - you’ll be able to use those powers.”

Marin blinked once, then decided it was all too strange for him and reached for his trapdoor. “Maman, Papa!” he yelled, hoping to get their attention.

“No, no!” Marin heard Tikki yell, and suddenly she was out of the cup and right in front of his face. “I’m your friend, Marin, and you must trust me! You’re the only one who can stop Stoneheart!”

Marin stopped, staring at Tikki for a few more seconds before closing the trapdoor and deciding to give Tikki a chance. “Alright, can you explain one more time?” he asked.

Tikki smiled and nodded. “I’m a Kwami, and we grant different powers through jewlery like those earrings on your desk, which are called the Miraculous. Yours is the power of creation and luck.”

Marin raised an eyebrow. “The only superpower I could have is super-awkwardness.” He paused for a second, but then an idea came to him. “I know! Alan, he loves superheroes. I’m sure he’d be _way_ better at this than I ever could. You should ask him instead.”

“Marin,” Tikki said, voice having a scolding tone. “You’re the chosen one. It can only be you.”

Though he knew he wouldn’t be any good, Marin decided to accept his fate. “Alright, what do I have to do?” he asked Tikki.

“All akumatized victims will carry some sort of object where the akuma is - it’s a black butterfly, and the person can only go back to normal when the object is broken and the akuma is released.”

“Alright, so just break the object where the thingy is,” Marin said, walking back to his desk and grabbing the black box where the earrings were. “How hard can it be?”

Tikki opened her mouth, then closed it. Marin assumed he didn’t want to know the answer to that one.

“One problem, Tikki,” he said. “My ears aren’t pierced.”

Tikki nodded. “It’s no problem. I can pierce them myself.”

“Uh, no thanks.”

“Marin, the Miraculous are very important, so you need to have it on you at all times, especially when you’re fighting an akuma.”

Marin nodded. “I’ll get them pierced, promise. For now, can I keep them inside of something?” He trailed off, then grabbed a locket he was in the process of making. “Like this?”

Tikki didn’t look happy about it, but said, “If it will remain sealed the entire time you’re fighting the akuma, yes.”

Marin nodded, making sure that the earrings would fit, and told himself that he would get his ears pierced as soon as the mess was over.

“Remember, Marin, you _must_ capture the akuma when it’s released,” Tikki continued, voice firm. “And one of your powers is called the lucky charm - it will help you if you ever are in need of something to get you out of a sticky situation. But once you use it, you only have five minutes before you transform back into your normal self.”

Marin nodded. “Got it. Capture the akuma, hide before I turn back.” He paused for a second, then shook his head. “God, this is all going too fast. I won’t be able to pull this off.”

“Just trust yourself, Marin,” Tikki said gently with a smile. “Now, just say ‘Spots on’.”

Marin frowned. “‘Spots on’?” he asked.

Tikki giggled, and then suddenly was gone with a flash of red.


	2. Violence Isn't The Answer

The earrings in Marin’s hands lit up, and with a rush of red sparkles he found himself in new clothes - which looked like some sort of strange supersuit. It was mostly red with black polka dots, like the earrings, but with black gloves that went to his elbows, black panels on his shoulders, a black band around his waist that looked like a belt, and black boots that went to the middle of his calves. There was also a red and black polka dotted mask around his eyes, and his hair had been slicked back as opposed to Marin’s usual bangs swept to the side.

“What the hell…” Marin mumbled, looking at the suit from all angles in his mirror. “Um, Tikki? If you can hear me, I want my normal clothes back.”

Then, Marin heard the news story play on his computer again, saying, _“Stoneheart is heading to the Montparnasse tower."_ Then, as if it couldn’t get worse, he saw Alan biking not far behind the stone giant.

“Alan?” Marin gasped, knowing that his friend could be in danger soon.

“Marin?” he heard his father call, sounding like he was heading up the stairs. “You doing okay?”

“Uh, yeah, Papa!” Marin shouted back, grabbing the locket and putting the earrings safely inside of it and around his neck before running to the stairs that lead to the balcony upstairs. “I’m just super!”

After making it to the balcony, Marin sighed in relief that he was able to hide from his parents so far. He still wasn’t fully confident he could do anything, especially when he was dressed as ridiculously as he was, but he couldn’t just stand by and let Ivana destroy Paris when she was in that state. Not when he had the power to do something about it.

“Okay, so I now have superpowers,” Marin told himself, looking down at the suit again. He then noticed something attached to his waist, around the black band. He grabbed it, and noticed it was a yo-yo. “And this yo-yo thing.”

 _I wonder how it works_ , he thought, giving it a quick flick to see how far it would go. When it seemed to go on endlessly, Marin’s eyes widened and he held tight to his end of the string. Finally, it stopped, and he sighed, deciding to start again and pull it back. When he did, though, he found himself being the one pulled towards the other end of the yo-yo, unable to do anything but scream as he went flying.

He noticed that the yo-yo had attached itself to some part of a building and came loose once he went past it. Unable to get the yo-yo back into his hand to try and throw it again, Marin yelled as he went tumbling towards the ground, just managing to look and see he was about to crash into someone.

_Good luck my ass._

The yo-yo saved them both before they crashed into the ground, wrapping around them both tightly. Marin groaned once, finding that he somehow managed to hold onto the yo-yo’s string throughout the fall.

“Well, hey there,” a feminine voice said. “Nice of you to drop in.”

“Sorry,” Marin apologized, not bothering to look the person’s way yet. “I didn’t mean to do that.” He yanked the yo-yo’s string once more and they were both freed, hitting the ground hard.

Once back on his feet, Marin looked at who he’d crashed into. It was a fair skinned girl with a black mask like his own around her catlike green eyes, with the slitted pupil and all. Her blonde hair was about shoulder length and a wild mess of curls, and on top of her head was two black cat ears. She was dressed in skintight leather, claws on her fingers and a strange belt tail behind her. There was a small golden bell on her neck and her boots were slightly heeled, making her the same height(if not taller) as Marin.

“You must be the one my Kwami told me about,” she said, smiling brightly with her hands on her hips. “I’m….hm….Chat Noir.” She giggled to herself, then continued, “Yeah, Chat Noir. And you?”

“Oh,” Marin shrugged, pulling on the rope to get his yo-yo down. “I’m M-” he’d just thought of how stupid it was to give away his real name when he was saved by a silver pipe-looking thing falling and landing on Chat Noir’s head. At least his yo-yo was free, though. “Madly clumsy. I’m _so_ clumsy.”

“No sweat, clumsy-boy,” Chat Noir said with a kind smile. “I’m still learning too.”

They both paused to gasp when there was a loud crash in the distance, and the only thing that Marin could think about was getting the hell out of there. Chat Noir seemed to have a different idea, though, and her strange pipe extended to put her back on a roof.

“Wait!” Marin yelled. “Where are you going?”

“To save Paris, right?” Chat Noir yelled back, giving a quick salute before running off.

Marin sighed, looking down at the yo-yo in his hand. “Trust yourself,” he mumbled. “Trust yourself.” And with that, he flicked his wrist again, and the yo-yo went flying, Marin with it. He did manage to not scream as loudly this time.

 

~*~

 

It took him a while, but Marin eventually reached the stadium where Stoneheart was chasing Kim. Chat Noir didn’t hesitate to jump down in front of Kim, protecting her from Ivana’s wrath. “Hey, it’s not nice to pick on people smaller than you,” she said with a smirk.

 _Oh my God, she’s gonna get herself killed!_ Marin thought, watching from his position at the top of the stadium.

“I guess you’re talking about yourself,” Stoneheart said, lashing out. Chat Noir luckily dodged, even managing to get in a hit, but it only seemed to make Stoneheart madder and larger.

“Where are you partner?!” Chat Noir yelled, dodging another attack.

It did take Marin a second to realize Chat Noir was calling for his help. But instead of rushing in, all he could do was cover his eyes and shake his head. “I can’t. I’m not going to be able to do it,” he whispered to himself. Marin wasn’t a fighter, he had no experience fighting! He was known for the time he threw up after running a mile his first year of collége! How could he be a superhero?

It all seemed to turn around when Stoneheart grabbed a goal post and threw it at Chat Noir. Though she managed to dodge it, it went flying towards Alan, who was crouched down near one of the entrances. Chat Noir noticed and threw her pipe - which Marin now realized was a _baton_ , how dumb was he?! - which saved Alan, but left her defenseless. Stoneheart didn’t hesitate to grab the blonde.

Marin gulped, and while he wanted to run in and save the day, he knew that wasn’t who he was. He went back into a haze of, _I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I can’t do it_ , when Alan yelled, “What’re you waiting for, super-bug? The world is watching you!”

 _Okay, that name is stupid,_ was the first thing Marin thought. Then, a sudden burst of confidence went through him and he flicked his wrist, flying with more ease under Stoneheart and landing only a few meters in front of him. The yo-yo returned, and Marin flicked his wrist again, wrapping the string around Stoneheart’s legs.

“Animal cruelty?” he found himself saying. “How shameful.”

With one yank, Stoneheart fell over and Chat Noir fell to the ground, unharmed. Marin distantly heard Alan shout, “Yes!” as he helped Chat Noir back to her feet.

“Sorry I took so long,” he apologized. Just a few more minutes and everything could’ve ended disastrously.

“It’s cool, Wonderbug,” Chat Noir said quickly, stretching once. “Now, let’s kick his rocky behind!”

Marin quickly grabbed the tail-belt at the end of Chat Noir’s costume to keep her from running back into the battle too quickly. “First of all, that’s a girl,” Marin corrected, releasing the tail. Chat Noir quickly took it in hand. “Second of all, didn’t you notice how she gets bigger and bigger with every hit? We have to try something new.”

“Like what?” Chat Noir asked.

“I don’t know,” Marin admitted.

“Alrighty then. Let’s use our powers.” Chat Noir shouted, “Cataclysm!” and strange black dots popped up all around her hand. She smirked and leaned on one leg. “Apparently I destroy whatever I touch,” she said.

Marin raised an eyebrow. _Was I supposed to be impressed…?_ He thought. Then, he said, “I don’t need a superpower to destroy everything,” referring to his clumsiness.

Chat Noir shrugged, then reached behind her to touch the other goal post. Marin shouted, “No, wait!” to try and stop her, but it was too late: she’d already touched the goal post and destroyed it.

“Cool,” she said to herself, then looked up at Stoneheart, who was now back on her feet. “Time to rumble, soon-to-be-rubble!”

“Wait!” Marin tried to shout one last time, but Chat Noir had already sprinted towards Stoneheart and tried to use her Cataclysm on the other, but it had no effect. Chat Noir was kicked back to Marin. “You can only use your special power once, you know. And now you have only five minutes until you transform back. Didn’t your kwami explain anything?”

Chat Noir scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. “Honestly, I was a bit too excited to listen. And to start this new life.”

“Well, it’s up to me, then,” Marin said. He took his yo-yo in hand and threw it up in the air, yelling, “Lucky Charm!”. There was a burst of red light, and then a large scuba diving suit - red with black polka dots, of all things - fell from the sky and to Marin’s hands.

Chat Noir snorted. “Super power,” she said with a sarcastic tone.

Marin huffed, not in the mood to deal with sass when they were in battle. “My kwami told me that I need to break the object that the akuma is hiding in,” he explained, hoping that Chat Noir at least knew what an akuma was.

“Well, she’s made entirely out of stone,” Chat Noir said helpfully.

Marin looked closely as Stoneheart walked towards them. “Her right hand, it’s closed,” he noticed. “I’ll bet that’s where the akuma is!”

“Alright, then let’s get her to open her hand,” Chat Noir said. “Piece of cake.”

Marin looked to the scuba diving suit, wondering how he could use it. Then, he noticed the hose at their feet, attached to a tap near Alan. He smirked and leaned down grabbing the hose. “Let’s use this,” he decided, putting it inside of the suit and making sure it was attached well. Then, he used his yo-yo to lasso Chat Noir’s legs, saying, “Don’t resist; trust me,” and then throwing her to Stoneheart.

“This boy is crazy!” Chat Noir yelled as she went flying.

Marin rolled his eyes, but was happy to see Stoneheart grab Chat Noir. Holding the scuba suit close, he ran to Stoneheart and jumped in the air. “Catch me if you can!” he yelled, and sure enough Stoneheart opened her other fist to grab Marin. A small purple ball fell to the ground, and Marin knew that was where the akuma was hidden.

“Alan, the tap!” Marin yelled, and luckily Alan didn’t hesitate to run to the tap and turn on the water. The scuba suit quickly filled with water, forcing Stoneheart to let go of Marin. He dropped the suit and ran to the ball, smashing it under his foot. Afterwards, a purple butterfly flew out of the ball, into the sky. Marin smiled as he watched it go.

There was a crash behind him, and Marin turned to see large stones on the ground, with Ivana in the middle, back to normal. Beside her was Chat Noir, who looked unharmed, if only a little dazed. “Wow, this boy is awesome,” she said to herself, sounding a bit starstruck. “Crazy awesome!”

Marin rolled his eyes at that remark: he wasn’t awesome at all. Tikki must’ve helped him at some point, so he couldn’t take all the credit for what he did. Turning back to the purple stone, Marin noticed it turned into a crumpled up piece of paper. He picked it up with a small smile, then turned around to see Ivana looking around in confusion.

“You were amazing, Mister, uh,” Marin turned to see Chat Noir there, looking excited. “Bug man. Bug lord. Heh, bug lord.”

Marin rolled his eyes. “You’re not so bad yourself, when you pay attention.” He decided to add a wink before holding out a fist. Chat Noir didn’t hesitate to complete the brofist.

“Pound it!” they both said.

Then, there was a small beeping noise. Marin glanced at the black ring around Chat Noir’s finger, where there was a cat pawprint with only one toe left. “You should go,” he said. “Our identities must remain secret.”

Chat Noir didn’t look upset by that at all, and simply smiled and bowed. “Until next time, then, my lord. Let’s do this again soon, okay?” And with that, she ran off, jumping out of the stadium.

Marin smiled. “Not too soon, I hope.” A groan made him pause, and turn around to see Ivana still looking a bit confused. Marin uncrumpled the piece of paper, seeing what was written. “You haven’t got the guts to tell Miles you like him. Wuss!” Marin read.

“Kim wrote it,” Ivana spoke up as Marin walked to her. “She always makes fun of me.”

Marin knelt down beside her. “You shouldn’t get so upset about something like that, you know. There’s no shame in telling someone you like them, Ivana.”

Ivana raised an eyebrow. “How do you know my name?”

Before Marin could stutter out an excuse, they were interrupted by Alan. “Uncanny, amazing, spectacular!” he shouted, holding up his phone and no doubt taking a video. “Are you going to be protecting Paris from now on? How did you get your powers?”

Marin stood up and decided it was about time he left. Before he could, Alan continued, “Were you stung by a radioactive ladybug? Oh, I have so many questions for you mister…?”

Marin stopped and looked back at Alan, who looked super excited. _Alright, Marin, don't fuck this up: this is your superhero name, don’t pick something lame!_ “Ladybug,” he decided when he couldn’t think of anything. _At least it describes the powers I have. Sorta._ “Call me Ladybug.”

“Ladybug,” Alan echoed. “Wow.”

With one last smile, Marin turned back around and flicked his wrist, starting to head home.

_I am gonna receive so much shit for that name._

 

~*~

 

_“Thanks to this ametour footage, Parisians finally know who their heroes are.”_

Marin sighed from where he sat at his desk, once again watching the news from his computer. He’d transformed back not long after arriving back at his house, assured his parents that he was just fine throughout the whole attack, and was now relaxing and feeling far more confident than he’d ever been before. Beside him, Tikki ate a few cookies he’d managed to snag, retrieving her energy.

“I did it, Tikki,” he said, clicking off of the news website.

“See? I knew you could,” Tikki giggled, continuing to eat her cookie.

Marin smiled one last time, then began to search for something. After a few minutes without speaking, Tikki asked, “What’re you looking at?”

“Scheduling a time to pierce my ears,” he said.

Tikki grinned. “I could still do them myself, you know.”

Marin shook his head. “No thanks. The locket worked for today, but you’re right: they would be way safer if I had them on me. Or in my ears, you know.”

Tikki giggled one last time before Marin’s parents called him down for dinner. Marin quickly got up and headed downstairs, listening to the Mayor announce that she was going to organize a huge celebration for Ladybug and Chat Noir. Marin smiled and sat down.

“Maman, Papa, can I get my ears pierced?” he asked.

While both his parents looked surprised, neither of them objected. “Why, sweetheart?” Sabino asked.

Marin shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to. I’ve saved up some money, so I can pay for it myself and everything.”

“Alright, but it’s on you,” Toni said. “And don’t complain to me when they hurt or itch.”

Marin raised an eyebrow. “They’ll itch?”

Toni shrugged. “Probably bleed too.”

He knew his mother was teasing him, but Marin still couldn’t help but second guess getting his ears pierced. Luckily he had Tikki, who would no doubt convince him to get it done anyway, lest she do it herself.

The rest of dinner passed smoothly, and it wasn’t until Marin was washing some of the dishes that anything went wrong. He first heard his father gasp, and then looked at the TV to see the news showing that different people were randomly being akumatized, looking exactly like Stoneheart. He gasped and ran to his room, where Tikki was sitting peacefully.

“Tikki, there’s a problem!” he gasped, startling the kwami. “Tons of people have randomly been akumatized, looking just like Stoneheart! But we defeated him!”

“Did you capture the akuma?” Tikki asked.

Marin’s eyes widened. “Oh no...but what does that have to do with the other stone beings?”

“An akuma can multiply, which is why it must be captured,” Tikki explained. “If Ivana’s feelings get negative again, she’ll turn back into Stoneheart with an entire army of stone beings at her command!”

“Oh God, this is all my fault!” Marin cried. “See, Tikki? I’m not cut out to be a superhero.”

“Shh, keep calm,” Tikki said gently. “This was your first time, you’re bound to make mistakes.”

“But I can’t! Now, because of me, all these people are in danger!” Marin sighed and turned around. “I can’t do this. Chat Noir would be better off without me.”

“Chat can’t capture any akumas,” Tikki objected. “Only you can. You have to go back and get the akuma.”

Marin shook his head. “If Chat Noir can’t capture an akuma, then just find another Ladybug.”

“But Marin-”

“Sorry, Tikki,” Marin sighed, reaching up and opening the locket to take out the earrings. As soon as he put them back in the black box, there was a flash of red and Tikki was gone. “Tikki?” Marin asked, looking around. When he didn’t see the kwami anywhere, Marin sighed and picked up the box, bringing it to his backpack.

 _I’m sorry, but I just can’t,_ he thought. _Anyone would be better than me._


	3. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Marin hated seeing the damage of what he’d done. He couldn’t walk down to school without seeing one of the Stone Beings, just showing how badly he’d messed up. The only thing that made him feel better was the fact that he was going to give the Miraculous earrings to Alan today.

_He’ll be way better at this than I ever could,_ Marin thought.

At least he still had his parents to cheer him up. That morning, when glancing at the news, his mother had tried to reassure him that all would be well because they had superheroes looking out for them. Still, it was hard to feel better about that advice when Marin had been one of the superheroes that had messed up.

“What if Ladybug and Chat Noir fail, though?” Marin couldn’t help but ask. “What if they’re not good enough?”

Toni shrugged. “Then I’ll save you. How about it?” She picked up the nearest thing, which happened to be a baguette, and waved it around in the air. “Superbaker to the rescue!”

Marin laughed and reached up to give his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Super Maman.” He then turned around and grabbed his backpack, leaving for school.

Which left him on the sad guilty walk. For once Marin had gotten up early, and he couldn’t help but slightly regret it because now he was fully aware of every stone being. _This will all be over soon,_ he thought.

“Marin!” Alan shouted from behind. Marin turned around and gave his friend the best smile he could. “Check this out! You are _so_ gonna regret not coming with me!”

“I saw your video, Alan,” Marin said after his friend caught up. “It was pretty amazing.”

“Oh, that?” Alan asked, shrugging. “That’s nothing compared to what I’m about to show you. Check this out!”

Marin was given Alan’s phone, which showed some sort of website. “The Ladyblog?” he asked.

“That’s right, giving you the best news about Paris’ amazing superheroes! How awesome is that? Check out how many people have viewed it already.”

Marin smiled. “It’s great, Alan. Seriously, nobody is as crazy enough to do this as you are.”

“Yeah, but who was within touching distance of Ladybug yesterday?” Alan asked as they walked through the school entrance. “Moi. You should come with me next time.”

Marin slowed to a stop. “You really admire them, huh?”

Alan stopped as well, giving Marin a confused look. “You don’t?”

Marin shrugged. “It’s just...they failed, Alan. So many people are now stone beings because of them. Ladybug wasn’t good enough.”

There was an awkward pause, but then Alan walked closer to put an arm around Marin. “Hey, I get you’re scared. I was a bit too yesterday, you know. But you haven’t seen them in action like I have. Ladybug and Chat Noir will fix this, I know it.”

Marin smiled. “Really?”

“What’s up with you, dude?” Alan asked. “Ladybug totally kicked butt out there. It was like watching a Majestia comic come to life! Except for the fact that Ladybug is a guy...but it was still awesome. I believe in him.”

Marin nodded and walked after Alan. The last thing he needed after getting to school early was to be late for class. Before they could make it to the classroom, however, they both overheard some of their classmates talking to Ivana.

“You don’t remember anything?” Alex asked.

“You went totally ballistic,” Jules continued. “It was super awesome.”

Ivana didn’t seem to share that opinion, if her glare was enough to show.

“You were seriously out to crush me, girl,” Kim interrupted. “It was scary.”

Ivana glanced towards Miles, who was at the edge of the crowd looking concerned. She bit her lip and sighed. “I’m really sorry, guys. I wasn’t myself.”

“Once a monster, always a monster,” Clovis interrupted, leaning casually against a pole. Ivana glared and stood up, stomping away. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

Alan glared at Clovis, but Marin watched Ivana walk away. He remembered Tikki say that if Ivana got really angry again she could turn back into Stoneheart. He couldn’t let that happen. “Take care of Clovis,” he told Alan. “I’m gonna check on Ivana.”

After Alan nodded, Marin turned around and headed towards the locker rooms, where Ivana had run off to. When he found her, she was sitting in a corner listening to music, seeming way calmer. Marin walked over slowly, kneeling down and putting a hand on the girl’s knee. Ivana took off her headphones and sighed.

Unsure of what else to say, Marin said, “You know, you should tell Miles how you feel.”

Ivana looked nervous. “Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on, I saw the way you looked at him,” Marin said happily. When Ivana frowned, Marin put a hand on her arm and said, “No no, no negative emotions, okay? Just be positive.” When Ivana still looked unconvinced, Marin continued, “I’m pretty sure he likes you too. I mean it,” Marin stressed when Ivana huffed. “I’ve never seen anyone look at each other the way you two do. Stop dancing around and just tell him how you feel.”

“I’m no good with words,” Ivana mumbled.

“It doesn’t have to be words,” Marin said. “You could draw him a picture, send flowers…”

“I could write him a song!” Ivana said, sounding excited.

“That’s a great idea!” Marin exclaimed. “Who wouldn’t want a song made especially for them? I say go for it, and...uh, stay positive, okay?”

Ivana nodded, getting up and running off, no doubt to write the song. Marin sighed, deciding that his work was done and it was time for him to go to class before he ended up late. Luckily, Alan was waiting for him outside of the locker room.

“That was a really nice thing you did for her,” he said.

Marin blushed. “Oh, that? It was nothing, I just…”

“You’re super nice, Marin,” Alan said as the two walked towards the stairs.

“Uh, thanks.” After a short silence, Marin decided to ask, “Alan, you like superheroes, right?”

“Is the fact that I stalked a supervillain and created a blog not obvious enough?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I was just wondering if you’d ever consider being one. You know, if you had the powers.”

“Of course! That would be awesome! Why?”

“Oh, no reason…” Marin trailed off, deciding that he would give Alan the earrings, now that he knew his friend wouldn’t mind being a hero. He cautiously took the black box from his bag and slipped it into Alan’s without his friend noticing. _Soon, I can forget all about this…_

Not paying attention as he walked into class, Marin was surprised to hear Alan gasp. He looked up to see a girl at their seat, and for a second he thought it might’ve been Chat Noir except for the fact that her hair was all wrong. It was straight and pulled into a side braid. At the gasp, she stood up and looked a bit stunned to see Marin and Alan, and though Marin could definitely admit she looked pretty with her fair skin and forest green eyes, he couldn’t excuse the fact that there was gum on his seat.

“What’re you doing?” he asked, voice firm. It must’ve been some leftover confidence from yesterday.

“No no, I was just trying to take the gum off!” the girl protested, looking nervous.

Marin quickly walked over to her, taking in her appearance more. She was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt with different colored stripes and a white button up. She was also almost taller than Marin, which slightly annoyed him for some reason. Knowing not to assume things, Marin would’ve believed her if it wasn’t for Clovis and Sebastian laughing when the girl protested. He sent a glare to the two boys for good measure before putting his bag down. “Okay, you three, I see what this is,” he said, taking out a napkin and putting it over the gum.

“I’m so sorry about that…” the girl said.

“Save it,” Marin grumbled. He turned to look up at her. “You’re friends with Clovis, huh?”

“Why does everyone keep saying it like that?” the girl asked.

Marin huffed one last time and then sat down, studying the girl as she sat next to Nina. “I know I’ve seen her somewhere before,” he said.

“Hm,” Alan handed Marin his phone. “Could it be her?”

Marin gasped quietly. “Of course! She’s the daughter of my favorite fashion designer, Gabrielle Agreste!”

“Momma’s girl, teen supermodel _and_ Clovis’ buddy?” Alan asked. “Forget it, dude.”

Marin had no trouble doing so.

 

~*~

 

Okay, so she was a little cute.

Marin admitted it when she had jumped up to yell, “Present!” when her name was called. He even noticed Nina had to tell her what to do. And, yeah, being in the same room as your favorite fashion designer’s daughter was a little nerve wracking, especially when the first thing you did with said girl was yell at her. _Oh God, I hope she doesn’t go home and tell her mother that I was rude…_ Marin thought, but then shook that thought from his head. _Well, I was rude. But they all started it! I can’t help it if I decide to defend myself like that._

Then, all those thoughts were shaken from Marin’s head when Mr. Bustier called for Ivana and Stoneheart crashed through the door. “Miles!” Stoneheart yelled, walking over to the poor boy. Marin jumped up and ran to the other end of the room, crouching down behind a desk and wishing that this wasn’t happening.

“Let me go, Ivana!” Miles yelled.

Marin peeked over the desk to see Miles in Ivana’s grip, looking scared. Then, Ivana turned and grabbed Clovis from where he was hiding under a desk, walked over to the wall and crashed it open, jumping down to the street below. Alan ran to the hole, watching them go.

“Come on, let’s follow them!” he cheered.

Marin shook his head. “Oh, no. You go. I’m finding a place to hide.”

“Dude, you’re gonna miss Ladybug in action!”

Marin shook his head, glancing at Alan’s bag. He grabbed it and held it out. “You and Ladybug would be much better off without me.”

Alan shrugged. “Suit yourself!” he yelled, running out of the classroom.

Marin blinked, very aware of the bag that was still in his hands. The bag that had the earrings. “Wait, Alan! You forgot your bag!” he yelled, running out of the room after his friend.

 

~*~

 

Marin found his was much slower than Alan when he was determined to see superheroes. He quickly fell behind, trying to catch up but never managed to do so until he got to where the damage was. Chat Noir was already there, dodging the cars that the Stone Beings were throwing at her. Marin clutched the bag tighter and watched in awe as she flipped to and fro, trying to avoid being hit.

“Where are you, Ladybug?!” Chat Noir yelled. “I could use some help!”

Marin bit his lip as he watched her struggle, yet couldn’t find it in him to try and help. _I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this…_ he thought, unable to gather the courage to grab the black box in Alan’s bag.

Then, he watched as one Stone Being threw a car straight at Alan, who was sitting out in the open next to a building. Marin gasped as he saw his friend run, but it wasn’t fast enough. Luckily, Chat Noir threw her baton and stopped the car from crushing Alan, but it did trap him. Marin felt frozen to the spot as one of the Stone Beings grabbed Chat Noir and began to walk away with her in its grip.

“Let me go, you rock pile!” she yelled and struggled.

Marin glanced back to the car to see Alan struggling to get out. He gasped for breath, then shouted, “HELP!”

And then Marin knew he had to do something.

A wave of courage crashed over him, and he grabbed Alan’s bag from where it had fallen to the ground earlier. He didn’t hesitate to open the black box and grab the earrings, watching as a flash of red light erupted and suddenly Tikki was back in front of him. She smiled brightly when she saw him.

“I think I need Ladybug,” Marin managed to say, voice shaky.

“I knew you’d come around!” Tikki cheered.

“Well, I’m not sure if I quite accept this superhero thing yet, but I know I can’t stand around and not do anything.” Marin ran to the nearest cover he could find, which happened to be around the corner from where Alan was trapped. At least nobody else was dumb enough to try to get close to the stone beings, so there was nobody else around. “This will have to do,” Marin decided, taking the locket out of his pocket. “Tikki, spots on!”


	4. Legends Are Born

With a flick of his wrist, the yo-yo went flying and Marin was able to pull Alan out from behind the car. His friend didn’t hesitate to run out, gasping for air. Marin gave him a smile as he walked forward, grabbing Chat Noir’s baton. “You can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous,” he said, flicking his wrist again to swing forward, after the Stone Beings.

He could only hope that Alan would listen to him. Probably not.

It only took a moment for Marin to locate Chat Noir, and when he did he threw the baton towards the fist she was trapped in. “Extend it!” he shouted, landing on a light post in time to see Chat Noir break free. She rubbed her head as the Stone Beings walked towards her, so Marin flicked his wrist to wrap the yo-yo around her ankle and pull her to the lamppost he was on. “Sorry I was late,” he apologized.

“My lord, have I ever told you that you turn my world upside down?” Chat Noir asked, winking for good measure.

Marin rolled his eyes. “Oh, you’re quite the jokester, aren’t you?” he asked. A roar cut him off, and he looked to see the Stone Beings start for them. “But your comedic timing needs work. Let’s get out of here, we need to find Stoneheart.”

The two quickly jumped for the rooftops, running across them. “Do you have any idea where she is?” Chat Noir yelled.

“Follow the helicopters,” Marin yelled back. It didn’t take them long to find out Stoneheart was at the Eiffel Tower. “If we’re gonna turn everyone back to normal then we need to get that akuma.”

Chat Noir nodded. The two ran towards the monument, where there was a huge line of police waiting with weapons. Even the mayor was there, holding a large megaphone. “You release my son immediately!” she screamed at Stoneheart.

“Okay,” Stoneheart yelled back, raising the fist that held Clovis and throwing him towards the police barricade while Clovis screamed.

Marin gasped as he watched Clovis fly through the air, going far too fast to land safely. He jumped up and flicked his wrist, wrapping the yo-yo around one of the helicopters and swinging towards Clovis, catching him in midair and landing safely, holding his classmate bridal style.

“Wow,” Clovis said, looking at Marin with a blush on his face.

Marin did _not_ want to know what Clovis was thinking, so he dropped the boy to the ground and stood up quickly. Clovis ran to his mother and hugged her tightly, and while Marin hated the other boy he couldn’t help but feel happy that he’d helped.

“We are clear to fire!” a police woman yelled.

“No!” Marin yelled. “Don’t attack, you know it’ll only make things worse! Besides, there’s another boy up there-”

“I have a new plan,” the woman yelled. “Leave it to the pros. You’ve already failed once.”

Marin paused, looking down. “She’s right, you know,” he said, knowing Chat Noir was behind him. “If I’d captured the akuma the first time, then we wouldn’t be in this mess. I failed.”

Chat Noir shook her head. “No, she’s wrong. Because without you, that boy wouldn’t’ve made it,” Marin glanced one last time at Clovis and the mayor, who looked sickly sweet with their reunion. “And without us, they won’t make it. We’ll prove it. Okay?”

Marin blinked once, not sure how to handle this new serious side of Chat Noir. “Okay,” he agreed.

Then, Stoneheart began to cough until a large mass of butterflies erupted from her mouth. They formed a strange face, which began to speak:

“Greetings, people of Paris. Listen carefully: I am Hawk Moth. Ladybug, Chat Noir, give me the Miraculous ring and earrings, and no one will come to harm. You’ve already done enough damage to these innocent people.”

Marin shook his head, walking forward to clap a few times. “Nice try, Hawk Moth, but we know who the real villain is,” Marin said, voice full of confidence. “Let’s not reverse the rolls. Without you, none of these people would be akumatized and turned into villains. No matter how long it takes, me and Chat Noir _will_ find you, and _you_ will hand over your Miraculous!”

With that, Marin charged forward, using his yo-yo to jump up in front of the butterfly face. He swung his yo-yo around the head, and Hawk Moth yelled as they were commanded away. Marin grinned as he landed on the Eiffel Tower, turning around to address everyone who could hear him. “Let me make this clear: Ladybug and Chat Noir will do everything we can to keep you all safe and out of Hawk Moth’s reach. I wasn’t lying before: we _will_ find him and put an end to this.”

Marin lifted his yo-yo and pressed on it, opening it up to release all the akuma that Hawk Moth had used to make his face. They flew away, now no longer purple but a bright yellow, flying away. Marin smiled as he heard the people below cheer. _I did it,_ he thought. _I actually did it._

Then, there was a loud crash behind him.

_Or, maybe not._

He’d almost forgotten about Stoneheart, who was now getting up and climbing the tower. Miles yelled for help, and Marin knew that he still had one more akuma to catch. He watched as Stoneheart climbed upwards, knowing that the akuma had to be in the fist that Miles was in.

“We’re surrounded,” Chat Noir said, landing beside Marin. The Stone Beings had begun to climb the tower.

Marin nodded. “Yes, but we know where the akuma is.”

“With Miles,” Chat Noir said. “How do we get to it?”

“Hm,” Marin mumbled. “She’s in love with him...wait, that’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“We don’t separate them, we need to bring them closer together!” Marin shouted. “They love each other - they’re _made_ for each other! They just don’t know it yet.”

“Um, I don’t get it, but I’m gonna trust you,” Chat Noir said, following Marin as he began to climb upwards after Stoneheart. “Something tells me this is how it’ll be from now on.”

Marin rolled his eyes as he jumped to the top of the tower, landing on a railing. Miles looked up and saw him, raising his arms. “Help! I’m scared of heights!” he called.

“It’s alright, you’re going to be okay!” Marin yelled back.

Stoneheart then yelled, prompting the Stone Beings to move faster. Chat Noir extended her baton as more climbed towards the top. “How do you expect to get closer?” she yelled.

“By using our powers!” Marin yelled back. He threw his yo-yo into the air, yelling, “Lucky Charm!” and caught what fell back down. It was a parachute pack. “Oh God, this is not good,” he mumbled to himself.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Chat Noir yelled as she began to fight off the Stone Beings.

Marin shrugged, putting the parachute on. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said, flicking his wrist. The yo-yo wrapped around Stoneheart’s arm and then back up to Marin. “Get ready, Chat Noir!” he yelled, pulling with all his might to bring Miles and Ivana closer. He _did_ feel slightly bad about forcing them to kiss, but knew it was necessary.

Sure enough, the shock made Stoneheart release Miles and the akumatized item. Chat Noir jumped down after the small purple rock, using her baton to strike it and send it back up to Marin. He caught it with ease, saying, “Home run!” as he broke it. The purple butterfly flew into the air, but this time Marin was going to catch it. He swung the yo-yo like a lasso, ready to catch it when a scream reached him.

Stoneheart vanished, instead leaving Ivana and Miles to fall to the ground. Marin gasped, knowing that Chat couldn’t get them both but also knowing he had to get the akuma. He jumped down towards Miles, yelling, “Chat Noir, get Ivana!” and grabbed the small boy. Then, he twisted around and flicked his wrist, somehow managing to get the akuma despite falling at the same time. Making sure he had a good grip on Miles, he pulled the parachute and said, “Gotcha!”

Miles took a deep breath once he and Marin reached the ground. The superhero looked up to see his partner reach the ground safely with Ivana. Smiling, Marin looked down at the parachute and then the damage that had been done, feeling bad about it.

_The Miraculous Cure._

He didn’t know who said it, but somehow knew what to do. Throwing the parachute up in the air, Marin yelled, “Miraculous Ladybug!” and with a flash of red light swirling around them fallen buildings rebuilt themselves, the Stone Beings returned to normal humans, and Marin watched with growing happiness.

“Now that’s what I call Miraculous,” he said to Chat Noir, who laughed at his pun. Marin then turned to Ivana and Miles, giving them a smile. “I think you two need to talk.”

“Um...I…” Ivana stuttered, looking very nervous. Miles only gave her a kind look, but did look a bit nervous himself.

“Maybe you should just read the lyrics to Ivana’s song,” Marin decided, taking the sheet of paper that had once been akumatized and giving it to Miles. He then stepped away to give them some space, walking to Chat Noir. He turned around just in time to see the two hug. “They’re so made for each other,” he sighed.

“Like us two,” Chat Noir said, wrapping an arm around Marin’s shoulders.

“Um,” Marin said, unsure of what to say. All he knew was that it was _way_ too early into their friendship/partnership to be thinking about that. Luckily, it was Chat Noir’s ring beeping that saved him. “Would you listen to that? I think it’s time to split.” Marin ducked out from under Chat Noir’s arm and began to walk away. “See you soon.” With that, Marin flicked his wrist and swung away.

 

~*~

 

“So, by the time I arrived at the Eiffel Tower everything was over!” Alan complained to Marin the next day as they walked towards school together. “If only I had superpowers.”

Marin chuckled at that. Alan was unaware of how close he came to giving up his powers to his friend. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your scoop eventually.”

“Hm,” Alan hummed. “Or, how about this: ‘Ladybug: The Exclusive Interview!’”

“Oo, sounds exciting,” Marin giggled. He wouldn’t mind letting Alan ask him a few questions, if only to make his friend happy.

“Or, how about this: find out who it really is under the mask,” Alan continued.

Marin laughed, a bit nervously. “Good luck with that one.”

The two were silent the rest of the way to class, where Marin noticed Clovis and Sebastian had yet to arrive. He smirked, and motioned Alan to follow him. “Wait, let’s go here,” he said, sitting down with confidence. Alan copied him, and the two sat still.

“Um, you’re in the wrong seat,” Clovis immediately said when he saw Marin and Alan. “Go on, get lost.”

Marin shook his head. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.”

Clovis looked confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m not putting up with your shit anymore, Clovis,” Marin said, standing up and pointing to where he and Alan had sit the day before. “Now, go on. Get lost.”

The rest of the class laughed and clapped for Marin, and he was happy to see a scowl on Clovis’ face and he marched to that seat and sat down. _Well, that was easier than I thought,_ Marin thought to himself, sitting back down with a smug smile on his face.

“Good job,” Alan congratulated, lightly punching Marin’s shoulder.

Just then, Adrienne walked into class. She had a bright smile on her face as she waved to Nina, then caught Marin’s eye. She waved and gave him a smile, and Marin distantly thought about how nice she looked - especially her hair in that side braid. And her eyes, even if he couldn’t see them at the moment. And-

_Nope, not going there._

Marin looked away and huffed, hoping to get his point across. Sure enough, Adrienne sat down and her shoulders slumped a bit, enough to make Marin feel bad. _Oh well. Goodbye all chances of meeting Gabrielle Agreste._

The rest of the day passed smoothly, except for the end of it. Storm clouds raged of Paris, and Marin didn’t bring any sort of umbrella. He had already stayed a bit later to help Mr. Bustier clean up his classroom, so he didn’t have anyone he could stay under an umbrella with. He sighed, holding a hand out to see how much rain was falling, and luckily it wasn’t that much but he’d still be drenched by the time he got back home.

“Hey.”

Marin turned around to see Adrienne, who was holding her own black umbrella and smiling kindly. Marin looked away and huffed, still not happy to see her. Adrienne stopped next to him, giving a sad look. _She looks like a kicked puppy, oh no!_ Marin thought, wondering how long it will take for him to crack and forgive her. Not long, judging by the effect her puppy dog eyes had on him.

“Listen,” Adrienne spoke up, walking out in the rain with her umbrella up. “I just wanted to say that I really was only trying to get the gum off.”

Marin blinked, surprised to be getting another apology after how rude he was to her earlier. Adrienne smiled again, but this time it looked a bit sad as she continued, “I’ve never been to school before. I’ve never had friends. This is all kind of new to me.” She turned back around and giggled.

Marin knew he was staring, and knew it would probably be creepy if he continued. But he just couldn’t take his eyes off her as she grinned, looking a bit pleased with his reaction. _Pull yourself together, Marin,_ Marin thought, _you can’t forgive her this quickly. Not after all the effort you went through to stay mad. Don’t do it, don’t-_

Then, with a brighter smile, she held out the umbrella to him.

_Nooooooooooooooooo…._

And that was when Marin knew he was fucked. But he couldn’t help it, okay? Yeah, Adrienne was gorgeous, and her puppy dog eyes worked like a charm, and her hair was so shiny and her green eyes made him think of mint chip ice cream for some reason(it was his favorite, okay?) and she looked so stylish in her simple jeans, black striped t-shirt and white button up. Marin wasn’t _blind_ , he could tell when someone drop-dead gorgeous was standing in front of him.

But she was kind, too. She’d apologized more times than Marin could remember, despite not doing anything wrong. She continued to smile and wave despite his hostile response, and looked down whenever he rejected her. And she was new to school, too, the poor thing had never had a _friend_ before and instead had only been exposed to Clovis her whole life. She had perseverance, too, not giving up to try and make Marin understand that she hadn’t done anything wrong, and that he was instead being a little shit that was only staring at her in a creepy way, dammit.

_And she was still holding out that umbrella._

Trying to keep from embarrassing himself further, Marin took the umbrella in hand and held it over his head a bit awkwardly. Adrienne smiled as she stood in the rain, her clothes getting wet and her hair getting ruined, but she continued to smile at Marin. And he was still staring at her, God, he probably looked like a complete _idiot_ -

_Snap._

The umbrella suddenly folded in on Marin, and he couldn’t help but think, _I was promised good luck powers_ as he blushed, slowly peeking out from under the umbrella. Adrienne started to laugh then, but it wasn’t a rude laugh like Clovis, or a friendly laugh like Alan’s. It seemed like one you make when you find something funny, but you can also realize how embarrassing the situation might be for the other person. And for not having any friends in her life, Adrienne wasn’t doing the worst job being friendly.

Slowly, Marin found himself laughing as well, and after a few seconds Adrienne recovered, grabbing the strap to her bag and pulling it further up her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” she asked, turning around and starting down the stairs.

Marin nodded, then realized that she couldn’t see him with her back turned. “U-uh, y-yeah! I’ll tomorrow see...uh, see tomorrow...uh…” he paused, looking down at his hand as it shook. “Wow, why am I stuttering?” he asked himself.

“Hm,” Marin heard Tikki hum as she flew out of his side bag, to his cheek. “I think I might have an idea.”

Marin frowned, then realized it himself. He looked back at Adrienne as she ran to her car, getting inside. He stood still until it drove away, and he nodded to himself. “I have a crush on her…” he mumbled.

“He he,” Tikki giggled, hugging his cheek. “It’s a normal part of human development, I’m told.”

Marin rolled his eyes, adjusting the umbrella to make sure it didn’t close up on him again, and then started to walk towards home.


End file.
